comparison of direct technique and formalin-ether method in determining parasitic infection among health-card applicants in shahroud city

Parasitic infection is one of the major health problems in the world. This study aimed at comparing the accuracy of two methods of direct examination and Formalin-Ether to detect the presence of parasitic infection among health-card applicants in Shahroud city, 2011. This cross-sectional study was conducted on 801 patients seeking health-card. From each patient, three consecutive stool samples were taken and investigated, using direct examination and formalin-ether method, The use of formalin-ether method in recognizing the parasitic infection specially Giardia lamblia and Entamobea coh'is more than the direct method. The formalin-ether method is a more sensitive method than the direct method. But in circumstances that is urgency to respond or aims to see the shape of trophozoite, the use of direct method is recommended

Hodgkin's disease with hyperferritinemia, hepatic and heart failure

Diffuse hepatic infiltration is an unusual form of Hodgkin's disease [HD]. Its manifestation as progressive hepatitis or with hepatic failure is even rarer and can be difficult to diagnose. We aim to describe an unusual case of liver failure due to HD. A middle-aged woman with a 10 month history of daily febrile episodes, constitutional symptoms and strikingly high levels of serum ferritin was admitted to our hospital with pancytopenia and jaundice. The patient rapidly deteriorated, and developed hepatic and heart failure. A liver biopsy revealed infiltration of the liver with mixed cellularity type HD that was confirmed by lymph node biopsy. HD must be considered in the differential diagnosis of obstructive jaundice in adults. Liver biopsy early in the course of liver dysfunction may establish this diagnosis without a higher risk of bleeding complications seen once liver failure sets in

Modified ionic liquid cold-induced aggregation dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction combined with spectrofluorimetry for trace determination of ofloxacin in pharmaceutical and biological samples

Ofloxacin is a quinolone synthetic antibiotic, which acts against resistant mutants of bacteria by inhibiting DNA gyrase. This antibacterial agent is widely used in the treatment of respiratory tract, urinary tract and tissue-based infections, which are caused by Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. In this work, an efficient modified ionic liquid cold-induced aggregation dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction [M-IL-CIA-DLLME] was combined with spectrofluorimetry for trace determination of ofloxacin in real samples. In this microextraction method, hydrophobic l-hexyl-3-methylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate [[Hmim] [PF[6]]] ionic liquid [IL] as a microextraction solvent was dispersed into a heated sample solution containing sodium hexafluorophosphate [NaPF[6]] [as a commonion]] and the analyte of interest. Afterwards, the resultant solution was cooled in an ice-water bath and a cloudy condition was formed due to a considerable decrease of IL solubility. After centrifuging, the enriched phase was introduced to the spectrofluorimeter for the determination of ofloxacin. In this technique, the performance of the microextraction method was not influenced by variations in the ionic strength of the sample solution [up to 30% w/v]. Furthermore, [Hmim][PF[6]] IL was chosen as a green microextraction phase and an alternative to traditional toxic organic solvents. Different parameters affecting the analytical performance were studied and optimized. At optimum conditions, a relatively broad linear dynamic range of 0.15-125 microg I[-1] and a limit of detection [LOD] of 0.029 microg I[-1] were obtained. The relative standard deviation [R.S.D.] obtained for the determination of five replicates of the 10 ml solution containing 50 ug I"1 ofloxacin was 2.7%. Finally, the combined methodology was successfully applied to ofloxacin determination in actual pharmaceutical formulations and biological samples